Earlier this year we decided to do a magazine project truck so we’d have something to tow our pontoon to the lake this summer. I quickly discovered that “while I’m at it” and “as long as we’ve got it apart,” are the two most dangerous phrases that can be uttered when it comes to a truck build.

Looking back now I clearly bit off more than I could chew when I bought a 2004 Dodge RAM 2500 5.9L Cummins that had quite a few miles on the odometer, but we sure had a lot of fun. Blame it on my day job but I may have fell in love with the story idea of bringing back to life this old truck that I found in a farmer’s field. We ended up calling our build Project Lefty because this truck was clearly “lefty” for dead.

In the end we’re happy with how our 20-year-old Dodge turned out, and with the current price of new diesel trucks we’re hoping our project inspires other boaters who may be looking for a solid tow vehicle to restore.

Here is a recap of our build, but you can also think of it as a blueprint to help get you started on your own project truck if you choose to follow our wake.

Getting Started

There were some basic needs we began with, including replacing the batteries and changing all of the fluids along with fixing as many simple cosmetic issues we could by taking parts off other trucks found in an auto scrap yard. For consistency we went with AMSOIL for all of our fluids including synthetic 5W40 diesel oil, antifreeze, gear lube, automatic transmission fluid as well as an all-in-one diesel treatment fuel additive. We’ve had good luck with OPTIMA batteries over the year so swapping out to a pair of its YELLOW TOPS was a must.

Besides the batteries we also needed an alternator and we’ve had a lot of success with Mean Green in the past so that was our first call. Another dependable product we’ve used with other trucks is a lift pump from FASS. Its Titanium Signature Series diesel fuel system is a fuel and air separator that increases fuel economy, horsepower and torque.

The truck needed a water pump and luckily Bullet Proof Diesel recently released its Cummins Water pump that was an easy swap and with the metal (not plastic) impeller and a larger more durable ball bearing assembly, it was a huge upgrade over the stock one we replaced. Our transmission oil cooler was also leaking so we swapped out to one from CSF, which is a trusted name in the industry and best known for its overbuilt radiators.

BD Diesel

Without products from BD Diesel, our truck would have remained a field decoration with no hope of ever towing a boat. Upgrades included the BD Diesel Iron Horn 5.9L Cummins Turbo kit, BD-built performance injectors, pulse exhaust manifold, X-Flow Power Intake Elbow as well as front and rear differential covers and a deep sump transmission pan.

The Iron Horn kit increases airflow for more power, response, and reliability by replacing our worn out factory turbo with a S300 SX-E Borg Warner T4 flange turbo. The kit also includes a 5.9L 2-piece BD high flow pulse T4 manifold and gaskets and no extra piping is required. It truly is a drop-in installation.

The BD-Built performance injectors are manufactured by a trained Bosch technician and are 60 percent over or an approximately 120hp upgrade to help give our RAM a little kick. The Pulse Exhaust manifold from BD is designed to withstand extreme temperatures and vibration and prevents cracking or exhaust leaks. The X-Flow Power Intake elbow increases the airflow to reduce turbulence and intake pressure losses. Bonus: the “BD” logo on the side cleans up the look under the hood.

While we were at it–or in this case, while we already had a section of the engine torn out–we upgraded to Gator Fasteners Heavy Duty Main Head Stud kit. I’ve seen high horsepower trucks pushed to extreme limits, yet the Gator head studs never bent so it was an easy choice for our build.

We also did some preventive upgrades by adding the Coolant Bypass Kit from Fleece Performance. The rear cylinders on the 5.9/6.7L Cummins suffer from a lack of coolant flow, and therefore experience the highest coolant temperatures. This can cause excessive pressure to build in the cooling system, especially in the rear of the block, and blow out freeze plugs externally, or the smaller diameter plugs under the valve cover, leading to a failure. The coolant bypass kit adds a secondary thermostat that works based on temperature instead of excessive pressure. This solves the problem before pressure becomes an issue by ensuring consistent temperatures across all six cylinders.

The Big Three

It seems the three upgrades most people do when building a truck at a very minimum are to add an intake, tuner and an exhaust. For the intake and exhaust we turned to Banks Power and its Ram-Air Cold Air Intake System and its Monster Exhaust System. Founded by the legend Gale Banks whose high-performance engines have broken world records for decades, Banks Power is well-known in the auto industry. The intake gained an estimated 28hp and 52 lb-ft of torque to our truck with 62 percent less restriction that lowers our EGT and soot output. When paired with its Monster Exhaust system that according to the manufacturer outflows stock by 122 percent, you truly have a winning combination.

The third must-have upgrade is a tuner and Edge Products is the clear-cut leader. The Edge Juice with Attitude CTS3 took our truck to a whole new realm and continues to push the limits of on-the-fly power, control, and monitoring. The Attitude CTS3 is an in-cabin controller on a 5-inch display that not only monitors vital vehicle parameters, but allows you to shift-on-the-fly by controlling the Juice module for maximum control and power. Teaming up with Banks and Edge was a no-brainier when trying to get the most out of this Dodge RAM.

Tires & Wheels

Nothing dramatically improves the look of a vehicle like upgrading the tires and wheels. This was especially true for our truck that had three stock wheels with the fourth being the old spare tire. It added to its “farm truck charm” but we were ready to move past its history, so adding 18-inch Fuel Krank wheels from Wheel Pros did the trick.

The Krank features a monoblock construction, unique 8-spoke design and iconic Fuel Off-Road styling in a Matte Black finish. When wrapped in Yokohama GEOLANDAR A/T XD tires, the commercial grade all-terrain tire instantly gave our truck an aggressive look.

Not that we’ll be going off-road a lot, but because our winters are challenging to say the least, the on/off road durability was important to us. The Yokohama tires include GEO-SHIELD technology and sidewall armor that provide dependable protection against impacts and punctures for ultimate peace of mind while on the road.

Fusion Is The Answer

Finding just the right bumper that completes the look can be challenging, unless you start with Fusion Bumpers first. The manufacturer has made a name for itself by building beautiful custom-made bumpers and it dominates major automotive shows such as SEMA with its bumpers on dozens of high-end trucks.

We had our front and rear bumpers powder coated black by a local shop, Ace Powder Coating, who did a fantastic job. We even had them powder coat a couple of tow hooks while we were at it. The Fusion bumpers turned out great and truly added to the exterior look. The custom bumpers included cutouts for the SR-Series Pro 6-inch spot/flood lights from Rigid Industries. With four light bars in the front bumper we can really light up a canyon road at night. Two rear bumper lights were put on a switch that makes hooking up a trailer in the dark easy. At first I tied the Rigid rear lights into my brake lights, but I was blinding people when reversing so I went to the switch so I can turn them on only when needed. With the all-black bumpers installed it was time to update the exterior with new headlights. And in our attempt to remove most of the chrome from the exterior, the old rusted steps had to go too. We replaced them with new running boards from iBoard Auto.

Peragon

A tonneau cover is a must; if nothing else it will keep tubes from blowing out of the bed of your truck as you’re heading to the lake. Most tonneau covers roll or fold up when not in use and take up a large section of the front of your bed. This can be a real deal-breaker, especially if your truck bed is only 6 feet, 2 inches. With every inch counting, you simply can’t afford to give up precious room with a traditional folded tonneau cover. Plus uninstalling and re-installing your entire tonneau cover between trips would waste a lot of time and is just not practical.

However, one manufacturer has it figured out. Peragon Bed Covers is a Wisconsin-based company which specializes in a variety of tonneau covers for all makes and models. What makes Peragon different from others is its covers are quickly folded and easily removed when you need access to your entire truck bed.

The key-locking tonneau bed cover provides deadbolt level security when you need it most, and keeps your boat gear out of the elements. Simply put, there is no permanent canister taking up space so you can use your entire truck bed. The cover retracts to just 7 inches and the panel assembly quick-releases in 30 seconds or less with no tools needed.

The LimitedHD comes with a five-year warranty and uses stainless steel hardware, sealed ball bearings and an aluminum track. The no-drill QuickClamp install was simple and the step-by-step video series was easy to follow and took all the guesswork out of it while providing helpful tips to ensure it was being assembled correctly.

Coat It

You can only look at the rusted bottom of your truck on a lift so many times before you have to do something about it. When KBS Coatings says “Rust Stops Here,” they mean it. We picked up a full kit where we first cleaned and degreased it, then used RustBlast to remove any rust we found. Then using 8-ounce spray cans we coated the bottom completely for a showroom-like finish.

Coating and protecting the bottom of your vehicle isn’t just limited to those with older trucks; this is something that would work well for any vehicle you own.

Final Touches

The condition of the actual seats wasn’t nearly as bad as they could have been on a truck this old, yet being built for towing boats, the truck needed waterproof CORDURA seat covers from ShearComfort. The black covers with gray inserts felt custom-made and slipped on easily. The complete order included seat covers for the back seats as well as the front, adjustable headrest covers and it also included covers for the folding console between the two bucket front seats.

Our truck was purpose-built for towing, so adding the Big Wig rear sway bar from Hellwig Products was a must. It is an extremely effective handling upgrade that is specifically designed for heavy-duty tow and haul applications. We noticed an immediate improvement the first time we took a sharp corner following the install.

We also added a T-Rex grille in the front to complete the blackout look and a receiver lock/coupler pin from BOLT Locks to ensure our trailer hitch doesn’t get swiped. To protect our boat trailer we also added the Off-Vehicle trailer coupler lock from BOLT. Then on top, we added the Ridge Ready Monkey Bars from SeaSucker. This gives us non-permanent 60-inch cross bars for hauling a kayak, but with the vacuum mounts they can be easily removed when not needed, waterproof CORDURA seat covers by ShearComfort.

Powertech Diesel owner Brent Willsey (L) and his crew were responsible for most of the Project Lefty installs and upgrades.

Power Tech Diesel

The majority of our installs were done at Powertech Diesel in Idaho Falls, Idaho. This local shop went above and beyond to get our truck across the finish line and was a major supporter of our Project Lefty build. Besides quality installs, the shop offers performance products, truck accessories and diesel repair services.

That’s A Wrap

The last and concluding part of our transition was to wrap the truck to cover up years of neglect. The paint had peeled in some spots and despite the Yokohama tires, Fuel wheels, and Fusion bumpers, the truck just didn’t look complete with that old maroon dated finish. Another local shop, Custom Auto Diesel Performance, also wraps vehicles, so we trusted them to complete the build.

We went with a conservative charcoal gray for the main part of the wrap with an orange accent color. It was surprising just how much of a difference it made to our project truck. It was once “Lefty” for dead but it clearly is running strong now and ready for its next trip to the lake.